Senate Advances America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, Land Protections

Yesterday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, a first-of-its-kind outdoor recreation package, as well as a number of landscape protections.

AORA was priority legislation that Congress was unable to get across the finish line at the end of last year, but champions across both chambers and both parties have been working to pass the package in this Congress.

The markup and vote today was evidence of the strong bipartisan support for outdoor recreation priorities. America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA) is a package of legislation that includes sound policy ideas that Outdoor Alliance and our member groups have worked to develop and support for a decade. They include provisions to designate long-distance bike trails; protect rock climbing on public lands, including Wilderness; streamline the recreational permitting process; and codify the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program, which provides grant funding for urban areas to develop green spaces and outdoor access, with priority given to economically disadvantaged areas and neighborhoods without existing outdoor recreation opportunities.

“Outdoor recreation is a key way that Americans come to know their public lands and waters and develop a stewardship ethic. America’s Outdoor Recreation Act is the culmination of many years of thoughtful work from the recreation community, champions in Congress, and key partners in the business community and conservation space. The bill includes thoughtful new policies that will protect sustainable outdoor recreation and improve how public lands are managed,” said Louis Geltman, Policy Director at Outdoor Alliance.

Along with AORA, the Senate also advanced a number of proposed protections for important public lands and waters that Outdoor Alliance has endorsed, including Smith River National Recreation Area, the Oregon Recreation Enhancement (ORE) Act, expanding Berryessa Snow Mountain, Ruby Mountains Protection Act, the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act, and the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act to protect the Santa Monica Mountains. Protective designations have faced a challenging political environment in recent years, and we very pleased to see progress on these important bills.

The outdoor community’s support for these proposals is critical, and our voices will be crucial for getting AORA and any further land protections across the finish line.

If you are an avid outdoor enthusiast who personally takes time to enjoy our country’s public lands and waters, then you should be writing to your members of Congress and asking them to support America’s Outdoor Recreation Act. We’ve made it easy to send a message: